The headquarters of the Star Religious Group—House of the Children of the Star.
Shigeru Sonoda, the group's legal representative, sat alongside the church's shareholders in a grand, imposing hall.
"...So we failed?" someone muttered as heads lowered and gloom filled the room. Soon, the crowd split into murmuring clusters, the hall becoming a noisy mess of anxious discussion.
Step... step... step...
Clink... clink... clink...
Footsteps echoed, followed by the dragging of chains across the floor, then silence at the doors.
The room stilled. All eyes turned to the entrance.
Knock... knock... knock...
The clear sound of knocking rang through the chamber.
No one inside dared move.
Only Shigeru Sonoda stepped forward.
The next moment, the doors creaked open.
He looked at the visitor, gaze lingering on the eyes—eyes like a star-filled sky.
"Ah, so you've come," he said. "We acted on a last-ditch hope. So in the end, it still failed?"
He walked over to a statue, gazing at it as memories surfaced.
"The origins of the Star Religious Group date back to the Nara period. Back then, while Tengen-sama was spreading Buddhism in Japan, he urged sorcerers to follow a moral code. That gave ordinary people a sliver of space to breathe—and they gathered together for warmth. That's how the Star Religious Group began."
"But now, the relationship between the Jujutsu world and the church is at rock bottom. From that distorted relationship came what is now the Soul and Vessel Society of the Star Religious Group."
"We've always stood as non-sorcerers. And sorcerers—despite all their authority—generally won't lay hands on non-sorcerers."
"We could've coexisted peacefully."
He turned to face the guest.
"But things still came to this..."
"The taboo written clearly in our scriptures! The Star Religious Group, now a strict monotheistic faith! The god we worship—Tengen-sama—intends to merge with the Star Plasma Vessel?!"
His face twisted in anger.
"If that assimilation takes place before our followers, the faith will collapse."
"But if we go too far, the sorcerers will retaliate..."
"Hah... truth is, we were already past the point of no return."
"If Tengen loses control," the visitor cut in coldly, "it's not just your faith. All of society could fall apart."
"So what? If we fall with the stars, then let fate take its course."
"You think you speak for everyone?"
"Stars fade. So do people."
"What about Misato Kuroi?" the visitor asked.
"Who?" Shigeru Sonoda blinked. "Oh, that maid?"
"She's a non-sorcerer too. Like all the others you've silenced over the years. Most of them weren't sorcerers, were they?"
"It was an honor for them!" Shigeru Sonoda declared. "To give their lives for our cause—for the soul of the Star Religious Group—for all non-sorcerers!"
"It was for you."
The visitor stepped from the shadows, eyes scanning the room filled with bloated greed. "You've enjoyed every luxury."
"Bounties for assassination, kidnappings, murdering women and children..."
"You'd never dare confront sorcerers. So you go after the defenseless."
"This wasn't about faith. Just one last desperate scramble to protect your own interests."
Sōjun Minamoto scoffed. He had thought these people were something—at least bold enough to own their actions. But they were just parasites hiding behind hollow ideals.
This kind of hypocrisy—hiding behind noble causes while looting everything they could—ran rampant in the Star Religious Group.
Sōjun looked around the hall.
At least today, all of them were here together.
Perfect.
Then die here.
He raised the chain in his hand, done listening.
"We can pay you... you're a Child of the Stars too, we could worship you..."
The crowd behind Shigeru Sonoda chimed in.
False praise at the peak. Devotion at the dusk.
But in the end, they only ever cared about themselves.
And besides—
"Heh."
Sōjun grinned savagely.
Even your god is afraid of me.
...
When Sōjun Minamoto emerged from the Star Religious Group, he was drenched in blood.
He returned to Jujutsu High, murderous aura still clinging to him.
No detours. It was time to meet with Tengen.
The Star Plasma Vessel incident had dragged on long enough. Trouble was brewing—and Sōjun hated trouble.
Better to end it now.
He rode the elevator down, walked the corridor of the Tombs of the Star, and stopped before the massive door.
With a light push, it opened.
Inside stood... a person?
It was hard to call it human anymore.
The figure was grotesquely bloated, rolls of flesh stacked high. Its head resembled a wide-mouthed jar. Its eyes, though, were sharp and alert. A second pair sat just beneath the lids. Its nose was two dark holes. Its mouth, a thin slit.
It was idly turning a short stake in its hand.
"You've arrived," it said, looking up.
Noting the lingering hostility on Sōjun's face, it remained polite.
"When you stand at a certain height," it explained, "a lot happens whether you want it or not. Even if you resist, people will push you forward."
It turned, slowly shuffling deeper into the palace.
"I didn't want to choose assimilation either."
"But I'm running out of time. Since you've taken the Star Plasma Vessel, how about you do me a favor in return?"
Sōjun followed him into the inner sanctum.
Tengen handed him the stake—it was the same one used to cast the earlier Barrier.
...
Sōjun stared at the true form of Tengen, who looked nothing like the god worshipped by the Star Religious Group.
A figure from a millennium ago. Likely someone who had already assimilated once. After such a process, one would resemble the Star Plasma Vessel—so no one really knew what Tengen originally looked like.
To resolve the incident completely, there were only two paths: let the evolution go out of control, then have someone eliminate the aftermath and erase the root of the problem—or delay the evolution again.
But what would the next five hundred years matter to anyone now? Or to the higher-ups?
Once this was over, Riko Amanai could live a peaceful life. No one would bother her again.
"How can I help?"
Sōjun was curious. He reached out with a crimson glow at his fingertips, trying to touch Tengen.
Tengen sidestepped.
Surprisingly nimble.
Sōjun withdrew his hand.
Tengen tapped the short stake.
"A Barrier?" Sōjun asked.
"Yes. A Barrier," Tengen replied. "The physical evolution is becoming harder to control. Everyone fears I'll lose myself. But if I let it proceed while maintaining my consciousness, that fear disappears."
"The answer lies in the Barrier."
"You can see souls. You're skilled in Barrier techniques. So—will you help?"
Tengen looked at him and sweetened the deal.
"You won't need to worry about the Star Plasma Vessel. The higher-ups won't trouble her again."
Sōjun thought for a moment, then clapped with a smile. Whether or not it helped Riko didn't matter—he was simply intrigued.
"I'm in."
He smiled back at Tengen.